Manga Review: Oresama Teacher, Volume 22, by Izumi Tsubaki

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: July 2017

Volumes: 23+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 21. 23.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Can high school delinquent Mafuyu clean up her act and still kick some butt?!
Mafuyu is the no-nonsense, take-charge and hard-hitting leader of her high school gang. But when she gets expelled for being a delinquent, her mother, fed up with her daughter's wayward ways, sends Mafuyu to an isolated school far off in the country.
Someone mysterious is pretending to be Super Bun and harassing the members of the student council! Mafuyu and friends almost capture the imposter, but she manages to give them the slip. Then, a chance conversation with Okegawa gives Mafuyu just the clue she needs. Has she finally worked out the identity of the fraudulent Bun?!

Review:

I think I should definitely have been following this series all along. Why did I quit?

Now that Mafuyu had figured out who has been impersonating Super Bun, she's become a traitor and decided to help. For a while, she really has no idea what his intentions are or why he's doing this, but she goes along with it. There are a lot of pranks and humorous moments throughout, and it leads to a really sweet reveal for the student council.

After that, we get a graduation ceremony for the third years. Okegawa has been working extremely hard, and Mafuyu lucks into helping him relax during it. And then we get a very misunderstood, comedic button stealing chapter.

I'm sure we're still going to see them, but if it's less frequent, I'm going to miss Okegawa and Miyabi. I have a particular sweet spot for Okegawa in particular.

A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma, Volume 18, by Yuto Tsukuda, Shun Saeki, Yuki Morisaki

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5-4

Publisher: Shonen Jump Advanced (VIZ Media)

Release Date: June 2017

Volumes: 25+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 16. 19.

Goodreads Synopsis:

The shokugeki to decide the fate of the Polaris dormitory nears its conclusion! Even with the judges firmly in his opponent’s pocket, Soma puts everything he’s learned from his time at the dorm on a plate, cementing Polaris’s future—or lack thereof—at the institute. Meanwhile, Central makes its move, beginning a full-scale purge of anyone daring to resist! Will Soma survive to take on this next challenge?

Review:

I missed the previous volume, and while I do wish I'd read it, it doesn't look like I missed too much.

We're in the middle of a shokugeki for Polaris house to stay. Of course Soma has decided to challenge one of the seats over it. Though, it doesn't feel like that much of an equal fight, since only Soma is cooking. During all of this, Erina is staying with the Polaris group, and they're all fighting to keep some punks from invading it.

After that shokugeki, the house gets to celebrate. Including their infamous naked apron head of house. We get an interruption by Erina's awful father, and a reveal about who Soma's father is, since apparently Erina and her father didn't realize.

And even amongst all of the seriousness happening—like people losing their seats in the council and rules changing and being challenged and Erina's father being awful—of course this is still a food manga. And so the latter half of the volume starts up even more shokugeki's, with students fighting to keep their houses or clubs. Soma needs to see all of it, but of course he can't help butting in a little.

We met an elite council near the end, and they all seem like serious jerks. I'm looking forward to seeing some justice being made.

Now that there's a serious plot line happening, I'm quite interested in reading more. I really like seeing Erina's relationship with her father, and seeing her mature as she learns who she is and what she can do on her own here.

A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Teaser Tuesday[257]: The Tenderness of Thieves by Donna Freitas

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

----------------------------------------------------

The Tenderness of Thieves by Donna Freitas

Genre: YA Thriller/Mystery Romance

Publisher: Philomel Books (Penguin)

Release Date: 2015

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells.

Goodreads Synopsis:

A summer romance filled with danger and lies

Jane is ready for a fantastic summer. In fact, she’s pretty sure the universe owes her one.

This past winter, Jane was held at knifepoint during an armed robbery and the specter of that night still haunts her. A summer romance with one of the town bad boys -- sexy Handel Davies, who takes her breath away and makes her feel like a bolder version of herself -- seems like the universe’s way of paying her back.

But bad boys always have secrets, and Handel’s secret just might shatter Jane completely.

This suspense novel marries psychological thriller with summer romance and is perfect for teen fans of Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl.

Excerpt:

“'Do you want to keep me a secret?' I asked, a part of me loving the idea that I could be like this beautiful, haunting lighthouse, a mystery Handel kept from touching the other parts of his life. But part of me knew too well how secrets could be destructive.” (Hardback, pg. 121)

What are you reading right now?

Manga Review: Songs to Make You Smile by Natsuki Takaya

 

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Tokyopop

Release Date: 2010

Volumes: 1.

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. RightStuf.

Goodreads Synopsis:

In these unforgettable tales from the creator of "Fruits Basket", a pop band vocalist meets the only woman who touched his heart; a girl wonders if her deceased father ever loved her; the son of a musical genius tries to find his own voice; an 18-year-old boy tries to learn to be a man; and, in a side story to "Tsubasa: Those with Wings", ultimate love thrives.

Review:

The first story in this volume kind of makes the rest of it worth it. It has the same art and setting style as Fruits Basket, about a boy who is quiet and misunderstood as rude when he’s really a nice guy. And he falls for his friends' sister, a girl similarly misunderstood, who was bullied. Their story is super adorable and sweet. I really enjoyed it.

After that, there are several one-shots, some clearly earlier works, some cuter than others. The last one is a fairy-tale like one-shot with the characters from Tsubasa, but I haven’t read that series yet. It was cute, though.

I’m glad that I picked this volume up, and enjoyed reading it. I look forward to picking up her other stuff, and I'm enjoying her newer releases.

Manga Review: Yona of the Dawn, Volume 7, by Mizuho Kusanagi

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: August 1, 2017

Volumes: 25+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 6. 8.

Goodreads Synopsis:

A red-haired princess loses her family and her kingdom Now she must rise and fight for her throne!
Princess Yona lives an ideal life as the only princess of her kingdom. Doted on by her father, the king, and protected by her faithful guard Hak, she cherishes the time spent with the man she loves, Su-won. But everything changes on her 16th birthday when tragedy strikes her family!
In order to free the port town of Awa from an evil tyrant, Yona and her friends team up with Jaeha, the Green Dragon, and his fellow pirates. While Hak and the others are fighting on other ships, Yona and Yun infiltrate a human-trafficking operation! When the enemy closes in and things look dire, what will Yona do?"

Review:

We end the pirate plot in this volume—they take down the slave-trafficking ships, Yona takes a stand, and then they all celebrate. Then they have to say goodbye, and it's a sad parting for all of them. After all of that commotion, we get a surprise visit from Suwon. I saw this in the anime, so I knew it was coming. I think it hit me harder in the manga, given Yona's reaction and her inner thoughts while hiding. But, I am rather confused by Suwon's reaction, and what his intentions are in the future. I'm just not sure about him. Though, at this point, I still don't think I like him, in general.

And then Yona and her five companions are off, in search of the last dragon. That will be left to the next volume, though, because this one ends with a little comedic reprieve. Yun finds a scale of the white dragon being sold as a love charm, and it causes quite hilarity and adorableness.

I'm glad that after this, we get mostly new stuff after the anime. I'm really looking forward to meeting the last dragon, and to see what happens after that. I love this series, and cannot wait for more.

(Wouldn't it be amazing if these were monthly releases?)

Teaser Tuesday[256]: A Trick of the Light by Lois Metzger

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

----------------------------------------------

A Trick of the Light by Lois Metzger

Genre: YA Contemporary

Publisher: Balzer & Bray

Release Date: 2013

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Telling a story of a rarely recognized segment of eating disorder sufferers—young men—A Trick of the Light by Lois Metzger is a book for fans of the complex characters and emotional truths in Laurie Halse Anderson's Wintergirls and Jay Asher's Thirteen Reasons Why.

Mike Welles had everything under control. But that was before. Now things are rough at home, and they're getting confusing at school. He's losing his sense of direction, and he feels like he's a mess. Then there's a voice in his head. A friend, who's trying to help him get control again. More than that—the voice can guide him to become faster and stronger than he was before, to rid his life of everything that's holding him back. To figure out who he is again. If only Mike will listen.

Excerpt:

“You've outgrown Tamio, like a pair of old shoes your mom would throw out of an overstuffed closet.” (Hardback, pg. 60)

What are you reading?

Manga Review: Don't Be Cruel, Volume 1 & 2, Yonezou Nekota

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: SuBLime (VIZ Media)

Release Date: June 14, 2016

Volumes: 6+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 3&4.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Playboy Maya catches studious Nemugasa cheating on a test, and to ensure his silence Maya blackmails Nemugasa into doing whatever he wants. Twice a week Nemugasa must go to Maya's room for some steamy action, but as dense and oblivious as Nemugasa is, he fails to notice Maya’s true feelings for him. With college entrance exams around the corner, Nemugasa must focus on his studies, but Maya won’t stop distracting him, causing him to finally snap! Can a relationship built on harassment ever be more?

Review:

I was intrigued by this series when it first came out, but didn't pick it up until just now. I didn't even know what it was about, but the artwork looked good. I'm really glad I finally picked it up, though. Once I started the volume, I just breezed through it, and it was over much too soon.

Nemugasa is on a scholarship, and he cheats on a test in order to keep it. Maya sees it and blackmails him. Nemugasa goes along with it, but all he sees of their relationship is that he's being used, even as it grows into friendship.

Normally I wouldn't like these kinds of plotlines, but their relationship quickly grows into a friendship, even if Nemugasa doesn't realize it. Plus, given how obvious it is that Maya has feelings for him, and how much of a teddy bear Maya really is, it's hard not to like him.

Nemugasa goes along with it for the most part, and he's actually the harder one to like in their relationship. He's worried more about studying and school than he is Maya's feelings, and he pushes him around quite a bit. In the second volume, he finally sees Maya's and his own true feelings.

This series is quite fun. There are a lot of sexy times, and they are quite hot. But there's also a good mix of humor, and the development is really nice. I liked most of the characters pretty early on, and the art is pretty inside.

I really can't wait to get the next one.

Manga Review: Anonymous Noise, Volume 3, by Ryoko Fukuyama

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: July 4, 2017

Volumes: 13+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 2. 4.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Music and longing collide in this ballad of unrequited love!
Nino Arisugawa, a girl who loves to sing, experiences her first heart-wrenching goodbye when her beloved childhood friend, Momo, moves away. And after Nino befriends Yuzu, a music composer, she experiences another sad parting! With music as their common ground and only outlet, how will everyone's unrequited loves play out?
At long last, Nino makes her TV debut as "Alice," the new singer for the popular band In No Hurry to Shout. But Momo's rejection has left her spiraling out of control, and her unconventional performance leaves everyone stunned! What will come of this shocking debut? And what will become of her deepening friendship with Yuzu, when both of them are concealing their true selves?

Review:

The first big performance goes by, and it seems to go well. At first, it feels like I'm finally getting a sense of how her singing sounds, but then I just get confused. Because it looks like she's just screaming? And yet everyone seems to love it, and the band seems to play with it really well. I'm really not too sure, by the end of it.

Their band is going to be competing with a very similar, new, masked band. I like how some of them care, and others don't at all. I also really like that, despite their competing and mixed feelings, Nino and Miou have a really good friendship. They understand each other, and Nino is very persistent about talking to her. I like that.

In a similar vein, Yuzu and Momo have also formed an unknowing friendship, which I also like. Though the ending gives a twist to that.

Aside from all of the friendship, Nino and Momo finally come face to face and get to talk to each other. And it's... It's good for Momo, I guess? Nino has some conflicted feelings regarding it, though.

I'm really enjoying this series so far. I like the odd mix of humor and significant moments as the story progresses. I'm intrigued where the romance is going, but I like the musical element and band play more. The friendships are also really strong, and I am enjoying seeing those form and grow.

A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: Ten Count, Volume 5, by Rihito Takarai

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: SuBLime (VIZ Media)

Release Date: August 8, 2017

Volumes: 5+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 4.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Corporate secretary Shirotani suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder in this doctor-patient romance fraught with compulsion!
Corporate secretary Shirotani suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder. One day he meets Kurose, a therapist who offers to take him through a ten-step program to cure him of his compulsion. As the two go through each of the ten steps, Shirotani's attraction to his counselor grows.
Seeing Kurose for the first time in two months, Shirotani takes a big step forward in their relationship--and his treatment--by holding hands with Kurose. Then, after Kurose fails to invite him home, Shirotani chases after him! Could this new, more impulsive side of Shirotani signal a new phase in this tumultuous relationship?

Review:

It's really hard to tell where this couple stands. A couple of times already, it has seemed like they were making up and taking a step forward, and then suddenly they're not speaking again. It feels like they've finally accepted their feelings for each other in this volume, but then the ending gives the sense that something else is coming along to mess it up. But even without that, they're still not quite used to each other yet.

This is a guilty pleasure romance, and I really enjoy reading it, but it keeps reminding me how unhealthy it really is. When we see what happened to Kurose when he was younger that led to his behavior, it's actually even more unsettling. He has some even bigger problems than Shirotani does, and it makes me second guess them being together, if he's even worse for Shirotani than it seems.

They both have some serious stuff to work through.

And I am undoubtedly going to read the next one, because I'm hooked. It's dirty, questionable smut, but it's hot and intense and the art is really good, and I can't get enough.

Manga Review: 7th Garden, Volume 5, by Mitsu Izumi

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: July 4, 2017

Volumes: 8 (On Hiatus)

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 4.

Goodreads Synopsis:

The high-pitched battle is on between powerful angels, sexy demons and innocent humans to dominate a world rife with political intrigue and to win the heart of one hapless male!
Awyn Gardner will do anything to protect the beautiful mistress of the equally beautiful estate gardens he lovingly tends...even enslave himself to an also beautiful demon bent on world domination!
Awyn doesn t have the heart to battle a friend possessed by the angel Loki, but if he doesn t, he ll get killed! And who will save his beloved mistress Marie when she turns out to be his enemy s backup plan Vyrde or Marianne? Wait aren t those just different names for the same person ?!"

Review:

There was a lot of strategizing and flashbacks in this volume. The way that Loki and Vyrde knew each other before, they played games and tried to beat each other, and Vyrde was usually with the upper hand. Now that they're coming face-to-face again, they are using a similar method, though this time it's much more lethal, and involving a lot more people.

I will say that I'm surprised by the casualties that happen, and I'm wondering if they really will stick this time. It's sad, to see a couple characters go—but not everyone can survive in this kind of thing.

We also get a new insight into what is going on with Vyrde. That there might actually be two sides of her, and I'm intrigued by where that's going. I like the added depth this volume has shown.

I really like the artwork in this series; at times, it's gorgeous. The story line is interesting, and it is getting more so the more we learn. I'm enjoying following it so far.

A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Teaser Tuesday[255]: Most Likely to Succeed (The Superlatives, #3) by Jennifer Echols

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

------------------------------------------------

Most Likely to Succeed (The Superlatives, #3) by Jennifer Echols

Genre: YA Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Simon Pulse (Simon & Schuster)

Release Date: 2015

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository.

Goodreads Synopsis:

As vice president of Student Council, Kaye knows the importance of keeping order. Not only in school, but in her personal life. Which is why she and her boyfriend, Aidan, already have their lives mapped out: attend Columbia University together, pursue banking careers, and eventually get married. Everything Kaye has accomplished in high school—student government, cheerleading, stellar grades—has been in preparation for that future.

To his entire class, Sawyer is an irreverent bad boy. His antics on the field as school mascot and his love of partying have earned him total slacker status. But while he and Kaye appear to be opposites on every level, fate—and their friends—keep conspiring to throw them together. Perhaps the seniors see the simmering attraction Kaye and Sawyer are unwilling to acknowledge to themselves…

As the year unfolds, Kaye begins to realize her ideal life is not what she thought. And Sawyer decides it’s finally time to let down the facade and show everyone who he really is. Is a relationship between them most likely to succeed—or will it be their favorite mistake?

Excerpt:

“A shadow descended over me. I felt his lips brush my forehead.” (Paperback, pg. 113)

What are you reading right now?

Manga Review: Horimiya, Volume 8, by Hero and Daisuke Hagiwara

Rating (Out of 5): ~4.5

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: July 18, 2017

Volumes: 10+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 7. 9.

Goodreads Synopsis:

The sweet "aww"-inspiring tale of school life continues!!

The Kiri High crew dives into the sports festival...and thanks to some fighting words from Hori, even phys ed-phobic Miyamura is fired up and raring to go?! As Sengoku's apathy, Sakura's lack of rhythm, and Hori's manly cheerleading take center stage, his fellow third-years might get some great last memories out of their final sports fest, but for Miyamura, they'll be his first!

Review:

We get to see how the sports festival plays out in the first half of this volume. It's started, and Hori and Miyamura are on opposite teams. It's super cute seeing them cheering each other on and competing, same as all their friends. I also quite love seeing how much Sengoku hates partaking in this. I love all of the little moments of hilarity throughout it.

After that, we get to see the rivalry between Miyamura and Mizouchi come to fruition. And I absolutely love it. Miyamura shows a bit of their sado-masochistic fetish, and I just... I just love it. I love both that such a thing is included, but also that they're so open about it and there's no shame, even when Miyamura mentions it and then does it at school. There's also the fact that he's clearly doing it more because she loves it, than because he wants to. And I appreciate that.

We get a bit more insight into Miyamura's old rival as well, the guy who bullied him. This series is full of comedy, with some sweet moments, but it also shows the delicate moments of growing and overcoming past hurts. We see that both from Miyamura's side having grown past it, and from Tanihara having done it and trying to be better.

I love this series, unabashed and irrationally, even. I need more of this in my life.

Manga Review: orange: The Complete Collection Part 2 by Ichigo Takano

Rating (Out of 5): ~4-4.5

Publisher: Seven Seas

Release Date: May 2016

Volumes: 6.

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1.

Goodreads Synopsis:

An Epic Love Story Across Time

Naho immediately feels a connection to the new boy who has transferred to her class. Kakeru is calm, kind, and seems to like Naho as well. But their relationship gets thrown for a loop when Naho receives a letter from the future. The letter explains that Kakeru will die unless Naho does exactly as the letter says. But changing fate is no easy task. When the letter starts to get things wrong, Naho worries that she will still lose Kakeru forever. Luckily, Naho has her friends to back her up. Not only do they want to see Naho and Kakeru get together, they also have time-traveling letters of their own...

Orange: The Complete Collection 2 also includes a bonus story, Haruiro Astronaut. This five chapter story is about a pair of twins who discover that they can't share everything in life--or at least not an alien that suddenly becomes a part of it.

Review:

This series is both sweet and heartbreaking, at times. We know how this ends in one realm, in one possibility, and at times we see how it follows the same path. It's hard to see all of the missed opportunities, to know how it ends when you're too scared, and how it goes when, even knowing that, it's hard to do something different. I can understand the hesitation, and yet it's still hard to see her follow the past.

When things start going different, when the letters aren't following what's happening in real time, it's uplifting. It's nice to see when Naho and Kakeru are finally honest and open with each other, and it actually goes in a good direction. It's also nice to see their friends growing and supporting each other.

After the main story ends, there are a few extra short stories, featuring non-related characters, and they were cute and fun.

I really enjoyed this short series, and I'm looking forward to reading more by Takano.